Investigation into bomb that injured woman focuses on sibling

BRIAN ROGERS, Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle |
July 21, 2010

Federal authorities are investigating a man in connection with a homemade bomb that injured his sister earlier this month when she opened a package in her northwest Houston backyard, Harris County prosecutors said Wednesday.

Clair Audrey Wolf was charged Friday with nine environmental crimes stemming from waste oil and industrial equipment abandoned in a wooded area in the 3200 block of Hurley, Assistant Harris County District Attorney Roger Haseman said.

If convicted of the charges, which include illegal dumping, the 64-year-old Wolf faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Haseman told state District Judge Joan Campbell that Wolf is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in connection with the bomb that injured his sister, Vennie Wolf, about 6:30 p.m. July 9, after she opened a shoebox-sized package that had been dropped off at her home in the 2100 block of Seamist Court, in northwest Houston.

"Assuming Mr. Wolf was involved in making that bomb and delivering it to his sister," Haseman said, "the motivation would have been because she was spearheading getting this site cleaned up."

Haseman also said authorities fear for Vennie Wolf's safety.

"Absolutely. From what I understand, she's lucky she survived the blast," Haseman said.

Haseman said authorities began investigating Wolf in the 1990s for possible environmental violations related to collecting and recycling hazardous wastes, such as oil, on land that had been inherited by Wolf and his two sisters.

City took on clean-up

At the time, Haseman said, Wolf took responsibility for a business in which he was paid to discard the material.

In 2007 Wolf said he would clean up the area after more complaints came in about the property, which is the size of a city block.

After the clean-up effort stalled that year, the city began cleaning it up at a cost Haseman estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Haseman said Wolf was being sued by his sister for money lost to the cleanup.

The bomb in Vennie's Wolf's backyard became a point of speculation nationwide after conservative radio and television talk show host Glenn Beck said the bombing could be the work of unspecified "radicals," during a monologue earlier this month.

Vennie Wolf's husband is president of a small oil company.

Beck also suggested the mainstream media purposely were not reporting it.

Haseman said the environmental charges were filed after investigators realized Wolf had been arrested last week for animal cruelty, a possible probation violation of a St. Augustine County charge.

Bail remains at $80,000

He said investigators were looking into other animal cruelty charges in Montgomery County, but did not know any further details.

Haseman said investigators previously had been unable to locate the man.